Comfortably Numb
by Mezmered
Summary: They never thought growing up would be this hard. As kids, they thought life was going to be a joyful ride, full of happiness. Disappointed by reality and the blunt truth of life, Sonic and Tails come to realize their feelings for each other. Full of the usual angst and emotion turmoil that accompanies being a teen, they soon come to terms with their true selves. AU, Sonic x Tails.
1. I Missed You

_**Hey guys! This is my first ever Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction. I've been a fan of the Sonic franchise since I was little, and I've been a huge supporter of the Sonic and Tails pairing for years now. There aren't many finished stories between them, so I decided to take it upon myself to write my own. I hope you enjoy fellas! And remember, more reviews means quicker chapters.**_

* * *

Laying awake in bed, Tails looked at his alarm clock. Three AM, and he still hadn't gotten any sleep. The cold winter night had been unforgiving, as the freezing temperature prevented him from sleeping under his thin blankets. It had been the coldest winter Mobius had seen in years, snowing almost every week.

Tails dreaded having to go to school the next day. The young fox used to love High School, until he got older, and realized how the real world worked. He felt as if all his hard work and studying would be done for nothing, as he would probably ended up with a job he hated anyway.

Tails and Sonic were both in their final years of high school, and the usual anticipated excitement that came with getting older and moving on to the real world, was replaced with dread and sadness. Neither of them wanted to grow up. They saw how unhappy most adults were, and knew they had a good chance of turning out the same way.

Tails yawned, and waited the night out. Another night with no sleep.

* * *

Sonic tossed and turned, but for a different reason. The attractive and laid back hedgehog had been going through somewhat of an angsty, teenage crisis. He knew it wasn't that big of a deal, but it still bothered him and tugged at his thoughts almost daily.

He'd been faking it for so long, and it had always been eating away at him on the inside. He wasn't the confident and happy-go-lucky guy that everyone thought he was- not anymore at least. Getting older had changed him a bit.

He winced at the dim light flooding through his window, seeing as dawn was starting. Another night with no sleep.

He looked at his cell phone, and wondered if Tails' phone was on. It was worth a shot. He slowly dialed his number, squinting at the bright screen in the darkness of his room.

"Sonic?" A soft voice answered on the other end. Sonic sighed at the fox's soothing voice.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Sonic asked, feeling guilty over possibly waking Tails. This was the first time he'd called Tails in a while, and felt a bit nervous about doing so. His nervousness was quickly replaced with comfort, however, as the conversation continued.

"No, I've been awake. Didn't get any sleep last night, it's so cold." Tails whispered, yawning. "You better be in school today, I miss you."

It was usual for Sonic to cut class, but not like this. He'd go to school two days out of the week at most, and people were starting to grow concerned. His parents had been too occupied with their jobs to notice a difference in the hedgehog. Sonic smiled to himself, glad to hear that someone cared.

"Don't worry buddy, I'll be there." Tails' heart skipped a beat at hearing the news. He loved seeing his best friend, now that the two never hung out anymore- they'd both been busy with the emotional turmoil that comes with being a hormonal teen. Tails broke the silence, with his quiet voice.

"I'm going to get ready, it's already seven." Tails said, hanging up the phone. Sonic held his phone to his chest for a few moments, smiling, before he sluggishly crawled out of bed, falling to his floor with a grunt.

It was Friday, and he was looking forward to the weekend. Both Sonic and Tails' parents were going on a trip together for the next few days, so they were going to hang out for the first time in weeks.

Getting dressed, the blue hedgehog looked at the dim morning sun, and how peaceful it looked. He longed to feel some sort of peace and tranquility- he felt that something was missing from his life, he just couldn't pin down what that was.

* * *

When Sonic arrived at school, Tails was sitting down on the snow covered grass, alone. Snow was gently falling onto the Fox, as he fumbled around with his gloved hands. Sonic got out of his car, and walked over to Tails. Now that he was eighteen, he was old enough to drive.

Tails lifted his head, and took a good look up at Sonic, holding back tears. Tails stood up, and walked over to Sonic, hugging him tightly. Sonic accepted the hug warmly, resting his head on his smaller friend.

"I missed you Sonic." Tails whispered, burying his shoulder into Sonic's leather jacket

"I missed you too, Tails."

* * *

Growing up, the two were the happiest kids. As thick as thieves, they only needed each other. They lived only a few blocks away from one another, making it easy for them to arrange play dates.

"Sonic, that's no fair! You're too fast!" a six year old Tails yelled, panting heavily, his small legs failing to keep up with Sonic. They were playing one of their usual games of tag- Sonic always winning, of course.

Sonic didn't even need to try- he was a natural at running, and everyone knew it from the moment he could walk. Sonic looked behind, and feeling bad for showing off, slowed down enough for Tails to catch up.

Slowly but surely, Tails caught up to Sonic, pouncing on his friend. "Got you!" The fox yelled triumphantly, tackling Sonic to the soft ground.

"You sure did buddy!" The Hedgehog said happily. He was two years older than Tails, and always thought of him as a little brother. Seeing Tails happy made him happy.

Tails let himself fall onto the soft, lush grass next to Sonic, rolling onto his back. The two looked up at the blue sky of Mobius, not a worry in the world. The two were so happy with their lives back then, and content that things would stay that way.

"I can't wait till we're older and we can do grown up stuff." Tails said softly, closing his eyes. "Grown ups are invincible, everyone knows it."

Sonic smiled at Tails' comment, look over at his two-tailed friend. "When we grow up, we'll have it all, and it'll be you and me, friends forever." Sonic said, putting his hands behind his head.

"Friends forever." Tails said happily, mimicking Sonic.

* * *

"Where have you been Sonic?" Tails asked, walking with Sonic to their first class. They were going to be late, but it was a Friday- no one really cared anyway.

Sonic sighed at the question, not wanting to answer it. "I needed a break. It's stupid, but I needed to think things over." Sonic answered vaguely. Tails wanted to ask more, but respected his friend's privacy and decided not to.

Tails looked over to his confident and handsome friend. He didn't know how Sonic did it. He was so loved by everyone, and acted so calmly about all of it. Tails, on the other hand, was a soft spoken introvert, who rarely stood up for himself. People liked him, but he was often taken advantage of, due to how kind and naive he was.

"Everyone has been talking about you and where you've been." Tails said softly.

"Let em talk, they're going to anyway." Tails admired his friend's confidence. Their conversation was cut short, as Tails had to break away from Sonic. Tails was in the same grade as Sonic, as he was placed ahead due to his advanced intelligence.

"Alright, here's my classroom. I'll see you around, right Sonic?" Tails asked, about to head into the room. Sonic nodded and winked at him, and Tails felt his heart skip a beat.

He loved that amazing hedgehog, and he was done denying it.

* * *

Shadow had been watching as the two embraced, sitting alone across the school courtyard. He was jealous of their friendship, as he didn't have anyone to call a friend. He was misunderstood by the entire school. He was rough on the outside, but had the same wants and needs like anyone else.

His heart dropped, longing to be as close to someone as those two were. He was just expecting to see Sonic- Tails was never late for class, and always came early.

He followed behind them, waiting to get Sonic alone. He'd had enough hearing about Sonic from the entire High School. When he was there, all anyone did was gossip out him and whatever he was interested. Whenever he wasn't there, voices of concern about the blue hedgehog were heard daily.

Nobody ever really cared if shadow was there or not- he was always overlooked by everyone.

Staring at the two, he waited for them to go inside. The black hedgehog had nothing against Tails, as much as some people liked to think. Tails was Sonic's best friend, which made naturally made him a prime target. It was only collateral damage, Shadow always told himself.

Once Sonic was alone, he followed him into the bathroom. He found Sonic leaning against a sink, his face covered in water, the faucet running.

Leaning against the white tile wall, Shadow smirked down at Sonic.

"So, where have you been?" Shadow asked, through a throaty deep voice, in an attempt to intimidate Sonic. Sonic gripped the sides of the sink, not pleased to hear the sarcastic tone from his rival.

Sonic wiped off his face and turned off the faucet, looking at himself in the mirror. "I am not in the fucking mood Shadow." He growled, not turning around to look at his adversary.

Shadow smirked, walking over to Sonic, gripping his shoulder suddenly. He slammed Shadow against the white wall across from them, hearing a few tiles crack. Sonic held him against there, shaking in rage.

They'd fought before, but never like this. It'd usually be over childish and trivial arguments. This time, Sonic didn't have his usual confident glint in his eyes. He looked... sad. Not the kind of sad you get when you're in a bad mood. He looked destroyed- like he was a shell of the person he once was. Shadow could easily of shoved Sonic off, being the stronger, yet slower of the two, but Sonic's infuriated expression scared him into submission.

Shadow almost whimpered, not used to Sonic fighting back this forcefully.

"Do not fuck with me Shadow. And you stay away from Tails, okay? I saw you staring at us." Sonic hissed his hand pressed on Shadow's throat. Shadow nodded quickly, as Sonic dropped him against the wall. He fell to the floor, holding his neck.

Before Sonic left, he took a look back at Shadow, a look of shame on the black hedgehog's face. Shadow didn't mean to upset Sonic this badly- just push his buttons a bit, and Sonic knew it. He was just mad.

"I'm sorry." Sonic whispered, leaving the room. He just wanted to go home, and be with Tails. When he was with the younger Fox, he felt calm, and could forget about his problems for just a bit. Clenching his fists, he came to terms with himself, and admitted the phrase that he'd been pushing away for so long.

"I'm in love with Tails." He whispered to himself, shutting his eyes. The anger and sadness that had been torturing him slowly subsided, being replaced with thoughts of love, thinking about his best friend.

He loved that amazing Fox, and he was done denying it.


	2. Dreams, Washed Away

**_Hey guys! I'm really enjoying writing this_** **_so far. If you're following/favorited this story, please do me a favor and leave a review. Reviews truly help, and they let me know what I can improve upon for you guys. Thanks! Also, sorry about how long it took me to update this chapter. I took a bit of a hiatus from writing to settle some personal stuff._**

* * *

"Ouch! Leave me alone!" a four year old Tails yelled, being shoved across their school playground. His face landed in the hard dirt below, covering his white, pristine fur. He tried to get up, his skinny arms trembling, before being pushed over again.

Tails never got along with any of the other kids in Kindergarten. He was always much smarter than the rest of them, and much smarter too. Him being younger and small framed made him a primary target for the usual bullying. His dual tails didn't very much, either.

The older bear who had been bullying Tails stood over him triumphantly, his crowd of misfits behind him, acting as if he was their God. "Some nice Tails you got there, Tails. It'd be a shame if _something_ were to happen to them, you freak." And with that, he grabbed his tails, yanking him off the ground.

Tails began to hold off tears, not willing to scream. The humiliation hurt more than the pain of his tails being pulled, as his entire class was watching and laughing. No one wanted to help- they just stared and took pleasure watching his torment take place.

Right when Tails thought he was going to break down and finally cry, he felt himself drop, landing back down on the ground. He quickly wiped his forming tears, and turned around. He was amazed to see a stunning blue hedgehog come out of no where, barreling into the cruel bear that had been tormenting Tails.

After teaching the bear a lesson with a few shoves and pummels, Tails' savior made his way to him. Extending his hand, he smiled widely down at Tails.

"Name's Sonic, I'm new here." Sonic held his hand in place for a few moments, before Tails reluctantly took it. A six year old Sonic pulled Tails up, and the two looked at each other for a few moments.

Tails rubbed his arm, his face still red with embarrassment as their whole class was still watching. "I'm Tails... its nice to meet you Sonic." He looked at his classmates around him, as they slowly dispersed. Tails' bully ran away, holding in tears. Tails smiled slightly at the sight, looking up at Sonic.

"Come on, lets go do something." Sonic said, wrapping an arm around Tails.

Tails, apprehensive at first, didn't fully trust Sonic. The constant bullying he'd suffered since school started had been too much for him to handle, and gave him trust issues. Yet, over time, they became the best of friends, and they both knew it.

* * *

Sonic calmly waited outside for Tails, his hands in the warm pockets of his jacket. He leaned against his car, looking at the school exit. The snow had begun to fall heavier now, quickly covering Sonic's head and fur. A group of girls passed by, giggling as they looked at Sonic. He smirked back at them, then looked away just as quickly. No one knew how he did it- not even him. Everyone loved him and his charisma- he didn't even need to try.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Sonic looked longingly at the school exit. Everyone had left already, and he feared that Tails might have decided not to come. With a dissapointed sigh, he put his hand on the door to his car, before he saw Tails making his way towards him, a small smile on his face.

"Sorry I'm late Sonic." Tails said softly, looking up at his blue friend. Sonic smiled down at him, and opened the passenger door for Tails teasingly.

"Ladies first." Sonic smirked, as Tails got in the car. "Very funny Sonic." Tails said through a small laugh, appreciating Sonic's admittedly stupid joke.

Sonic got in the driver's side, and they both sat still for a while, in a sort of comfortable silence. It didn't feel awkward to them- it felt strangely natural, in a way.

"I can't believe where we are now." Sonic said, his hands on the steering wheel. "What do you mean?" Tails asked, looking over at his friend

"I mean, it feels like just last week we were in kindergarten, playing outside every day and having a blast. Now, we're about to graduate high school. Time flies by too fast." Sonic had a strange look on his face, as if he was feeling some kind of nostalgia talking about his past. Tails knew exactly what he was talking about, and nodded in response.

"If I would've known how things would've ended up, I would've stayed a kid." Tails said, smiling at Sonic.

Sonic chuckled at Tails' comment, not be used to Tails being the pessimistic one.

* * *

"I don't remember the last time I was in here. It's so quiet with your parents gone." Tails said, looking around Sonic's large house. Sonic threw his school bag onto a chair in the living room, and collapsed onto the couch next to it, his arms spread out. Tails held in a small smile, walking over to Sonic.

The Fox laid his school bag down gently next to Sonic's, and made his way over to his friend, sitting down next to him. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes, as if the two had forgotten how to talk to each other all of a sudden. They hadn't been alone together like this for a long time. After a few more moments of deafening quiet, Sonic clapped his hands together and stood up, just as quickly as he sat down.

"Wanna go up to my room, and watch a movie or somethin'?" Sonic asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Tails nodded briskly, and stood up, following Sonic up the stairs in the dark. It was only five thirty in the afternoon, but it got dark so quick out, being the middle of winter. Sonic led Tails into his room, and jumped onto his bed, which was facing his large television.

Sonic's parents were well off, buying a large house with only the three of them using it, and buying sonic a high end car without a problem. His room was no exception- it was rather large, with a lot of random things laying around the floor.

Tails followed after Sonic, sitting next to him. "Gosh Sonic, you gotta clean this place up." Tails was amazed at how Sonic let his room get into such a mess. Tails always liked to keep his things nice and tidy- he had no idea Sonic was this lazy.

"Yeah, I'll get to it eventually." The hedgehog grabbed the remote from his side table, and slid up the length of his bed, leaning his back against the headboard and pillow. Tails followed after him, a good distance separating the two of them.

After they got settled, and the movie was playing, Sonic showed signs that he was visibly upset. Anyone who didn't know Sonic wouldn't of noticed a difference- but Sonic was Tails' best friend, he could read him like a book.

"Sonic? You okay?" Sonic buried his face in his hands, inhaling deeply, and letting out a quiet groan. "No. I fucked up today Tails." Sonic never cursed around Tails, making Tails even more concerned than he already was. "What happened?" The fox asked, resting a hand on Sonic's arm, gripping his bicep gently.

"I... I snapped at Shadow. I don't know why I did, he was just messing with me as usual. It was just my breaking point." Sonic took his hands away from his face for a moment, before suddenly bursting into tears, sobbing into the side of his arm. "I've never been this broken, Tails." Sonic said, choking up through his tears.

Tails didn't know what to do. Sonic was always the one comforting him, Tails being the more sensitive of the two. The fox never saw Sonic cry in front of him before. Tails closed off the space between them, wrapping his arm around Sonic. Sonic didn't object to his touch, and instead, hugged him tightly, not letting go.

He buried his face into Tails' shoulder, as Tails rubbed his back gently. They'd never been this close for this long before, and Tails secretly loved every minute of it. He'd dreamed of holding or being held by Sonic, and his dream was coming true.

"Its okay, Sonic. I'm here." Tails' soft voice helped to calm Sonic down, as he was beginning to cry less. He still grabbed onto Tails, as if he was holding on for dear life. Tails slowly turned his head, and softly kissed Sonic on his cheek, his instincts taking over him. Tails instantly regretted this, his heart racing. He jumped to the other side of Sonic's bed, holding rubbing his arm. His cheeks turned a shade of red, as he felt the embarrassment wash over him.

After a few seconds, Tails felt something grab him. It was Sonic, as he wrapped an arm around Tails' waist, and leaned in to gently press his lips on Tails'. Tails closed his eyes, fully accepting Sonic's embrace. Both their dreams were coming true, and they couldn't believe it.


End file.
